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Friday, October 8, 2010

Fly Me to the Moon

Late last night I finally finished editing the photos I took when we went to Stennis Space Center on Alexis’ field trip. I found it really interesting and I wish that I would’ve had more time to read and observe. Instead I found myself chasing four busy girls who wanted to see everything in the 45 minute time frame we had. Here is some information about Stennis that I found on their website.

“The John C. Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi is one of ten NASA field centers in the United States. It is home to America’s largest rocket engine test complex where every space shuttle main engine is tested and future engines and stages will be tested for returning astronauts to the moon with possible journeys beyond. Because of its important role in engine testing for four decades, Stennis is NASA's program manager for rocket propulsion testing with total responsibility for conducting and/or managing all NASA propulsion test programs.”

They told us all of that and more in the presentation that they put on in the auditorium. Unfortunately none of the children remembers anything about rocket testing. What they do remember is that they were told that astronauts wear diapers when the shuttle is launched in case they get excited and have to go. They also wear diapers when they walk out in space for missions because it’s not like they can run in and rip off the suit if they have to go potty. It takes two hours to put the space suit on to go on a space walk. None of the children want to be astronauts anymore. LOL

This is the outside of the visitor’s center. I took it while we were waiting on the kids to arrive on the bus.

The girls in front of a model space shuttle. You can tell that they are growing up because the poses get so sassy! It was like America’s Next Top Model.

Here they were flying a virtual space shuttle and bringing it in for a landing. There was a huge line to do this.

The kids got to climb up into a space suit. They were all so very tiny compared to it. Alexis wanted to know what happens if astronauts pass gas in the space suit.

Here they are outside posing next to a huge anchor that’s used to hold down buoys in the Gulf of Mexico so that they can gather information on hurricanes.

After that we had lunch and headed home. It took me about an hour to get back because the trip was all the way in Mississippi. It was definitely worth the drive though because I had fun and I know they did too.